Purr-Fect
by prettypurple
Summary: Drabbles of Garnet's kitten Cat Steven and her relationships with other characters.
1. Feline Friends

Lion eyed Cat Steven, unsure of what to make of this one-eyed cub.

It wasn't sharing his territory that concerned him. A simple roar could take him wherever he wanted, so his territory spanned most of Earth.

This young creature, though...she might be a nuisance. She might want him to play with her, and Lion did not play. He had better things to do, like napping, or helping Steven.

Cat Steven approached Lion, and without any fear of the bigger cat's huge paws and claws, began to lick his leg. Lion found it was a pleasant change to have someone else groom him for once.

Then, Cat Steven climbed over Lion, and nestled into his mane. It was a little uncomfortable to feel the small cat kneading his mane, but Lion was patient with her.

Finally, Cat Steven curled up in Lion's mane and went to sleep. Her purring soothed Lion enough that he felt sleepy too.

He also curled into a ball at the foot of Steven's bed, and decided that a new companion wouldn't be so bad.


	2. Cat Comfort

Sapphire sat on the couch, still in tears from her guilt over yelling at Ruby. Pearl approached Sapphire, holding Cat Steven at arm's length and eyeing the kitten uneasily.

"Look, Sapphire, I found your little friend!"

Pearl placed Cat Steven in Sapphire's lap, because that seemed to be a common thing to do with pet cats. Sapphire moved her bangs away from her face, and her one blue eye met the kitten's one blue eye.

Ruby had taken a shine to this kitten because of the animal's one blue eye reminded her of Sapphire. Sapphire had liked the kitten for the same reason. She was somewhat vainer than she liked to let on.

Cat Steven didn't seem to mind being in Sapphire's lap, and she happily curled up there. Sapphire gently stroked the kitten. Steven had said the best way to pet a cat was from the head to the tail, so that's what Sapphire did.

"Are you feeling better yet?" Pearl asked. "I know lonely older humans seem to find comfort in cats." Pearl didn't really know why, considering that cats had unhygienic habits such as coughing up their own fur and bringing dead animals into their owners' homes. Lion did those things sometimes.

"I feel a little better," Sapphire said softly. "Would you like to pet her?"

Pearl cautiously placed her hand on the cat's back, feeling the vibrations of the animal's purring. It was a soothing sensation, and now Pearl better understood a cat's comforting powers.


	3. Purring Pals

Cats were one of Amethyst's favourite animals, both the big kind and the small kind. She liked how cats mostly did their own thing, without caring what others thought. Cats were scrappy creatures, too.

Though Amethyst was quite fond of Lion, he wasn't always fun to play with, unless he was in the mood to try and fit in a box. However, Cat Steven proved to be an enthusiastic playmate. She could fit in more boxes than Lion could. Amethyst found a flashlight among the hoarded junk in her room, and she laughed as Cat Steven tried to pounce on the light cast on the floor. Then Amethyst turned off the flashlight, and the cat looked around in confusion.

Amethyst laughed. "Uh oh, where'd it go?"

"Aw, Amethyst, don't tease her!" Steven called, having watched all this from his little loft.

Cat Steven gave a confused little meow, and Amethyst felt a bit guilty. She turned herself into a kitten and flopped onto her back. Cat Steven tilted her head and pawed at Amethyst, who pawed her right back. Soon, it turned into an energetic (but friendly) cat wrestling match.

* * *

Later, Steven found Cat Steven, Lion, and Cat Amethyst all curled up together. He thought it was so cute, he just had to take a picture.

"Don't even think about it," Amethyst mumbled as Steven raised his phone.

"Not even one picture?"

"Okay," Amethyst sighed, "just one, but you better not send it."

Steven didn't send the picture, but Amethyst never said that he couldn't make it his screensaver.


	4. Greg the Pet-Sitter

Greg filled up a little bowl of water from the car wash's bathroom sink, then set it down for Cat Steven. He assumed that was what Garnet meant when she asked him to "water" the kitten.

Cat Steven seemed more interested in drinking from the dripping sink than from the bowl, but Greg knew he had to be patient with her. It was almost impossible to get a cat to do what you wanted. Greg bought a few cans of cat food and tuna as well, but Cat Steven mostly just licked up the gravy and juices and left the rest for later.

She was a cute kitten, and surprisingly easy-going and affectionate for a little thing that had clearly had a rough life before Garnet adopted her. Greg had known some rather temperamental cats, but knew he couldn't judge all cats just because of a few less-than-friendly ones.

* * *

Greg sat in the van, with Cat Steven curled up against his leg. He tried to play his guitar, and he kept playing children's songs his son used to like. When Steven was little and still living with Greg, they used to watch the stars on nights like this, and Greg would try to find constellations to show Steven. Now, when Greg looked at the stars, he couldn't help but worry about Steven. Was he okay?

Garnet had said _Steven_ would be okay, but the way she said it gave Greg an ominous feeling.

Greg scratched behind Cat Steven's soft ears, and he hoped his Steven would be home soon.


	5. Back-Rub

Connie and Steven sat at the foot of Steven's bed, watching a movie. Connie was happy to have a sleepover at Steven's without having to bring medical equipment, though her parents had told her she couldn't watch any movies over a PG rating.

Cat Steven crept up into Steven's loft. Though Connie had never been allowed a pet of her own, she thought she knew almost everything about cats from books and the internet. She'd researched cats in the hopes that she might prove to her parents that she could look after one, but they had still said no.

Even all of the books and internet articles in the world couldn't have prepared Connie for the unique quirks of specific cats. She noticed Cat Steven lie on her belly next to Steven's bed, front legs tucked under herself, back legs sticking out.

"What's she doing?" Connie whispered to Steven.

"She only does that pose for me," Steven explained. "Usually it means she wants a back-rub. She seems to like how I do it."

Steven showed Connie how he rubbed the kitten's back: he put the tip of his thumb on one side of her tail and the tip of his forefinger on the other side. Then he rubbed Cat Steven's hipbones in slow circles as she purred.

"Small back-rub, because she's a small kitty," Steven said quietly.

Connie tried to rub Cat Steven the same way, but the kitten flopped onto her side.

"Did I do something wrong?" Connie asked anxiously.

"No," Steven assured her, "that's just what she does after I rub her."

Cat Steven licked the tips of Connie's fingers, and Steven said, "See, she likes you."

Connie kept petting the cat while continuing to watch the movie. Cat Steven eventually hopped on the bed and stretched herself across Steven and Connie's laps.


	6. A Sad Realization

One day, Garnet and Steven were on his bed, along with Cat Steven. Cat Steven had found a new place to sleep: on top of Garnet's square hair. Garnet stayed very still so as not to disturb her. Garnet was good at sitting still. They watched a nature documentary on lions.

"It's too bad Lion didn't want to watch it with us," Steven said. "Then again, he probably already knows everything about lions, since he is one."

At one point in the documentary, the narrator mentioned that a lion's lifespan was only about ten to fourteen years. If Steven could have seen through Garnet's visor, he would have noticed that all three of her eyes had widened.

Steven did notice Garnet's fingers twitching and clenching into fists.

"Garnet, is something wrong?"

"How long do house cats live?" Garnet asked quietly.

"About the same as lions," Steven said. "Well...except our Lion, since Mom brought him back to life."

Garnet stayed still and quiet for a long time, while Cat Steven kneaded in her hair.

"Garnet," Steven said softly, "are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Garnet said, though Steven had heard Sapphire speak in this same tone, back when she fought with Ruby in Keystone.

Steven patted Garnet's knee.

"It's okay, Garnet. Cat Steven's just a baby. She'll be around for a long time."

Well, a long time by human standards, Garnet thought, managing to keep her body and mind together. She'd already lost so many friends...

Garnet placed both her hands on Steven's hand, while Cat Steven contentedly purred on Garnet's head, oblivious to the solemn moment.


	7. Watching Water

Steven and Amethyst came across a strange sight in the bathroom: Peridot was seated in the tub, with Pumpkin in her lap, and Cat Steven was staring at the bathtub faucet as it dripped water. A few times, the little kitten swatted at the water with her paw, or she would lick the water in the tub, or even try to drink from the faucet. But mostly, she just watched. Cat Steven's one eye just kept following the water as it dropped, and the gazes of Peridot and Pumpkin followed the water, too.

"What are you guys doin'?" Amethyst asked.

"I don;t know, myself," Peridot admitted in a sort of dazed voice, like someone who was under hypnosis. "I don't see the point of this activity, but I admit it's quite...enthralling."

Steven thought it was cute how his feline namesake was so interested in the water. He decided to record it on his phone.

* * *

Much later, Pearl came across Steven, Cat Steven, Garnet, Peridot, Amethyst, and Pumpkin all watching the dripping water. Though she was a little puzzled at this seemingly pointless activity, Pearl decided that she wouldn't ask. She wouldn't even remark on the annoying dripping sound, or the waste of water. Sometimes, it was better just to let others enjoy what they were doing, even if Pearl didn't get it.


	8. Lost and Found

Cat Steven was missing, and Garnet couldn't find her anywhere in the beach house. The last time Garnet had seen Cat Steven, the kitten had been asleep with Lion on the porch. Though Lion still slept on the porch, Cat Steven was not with him anymore. Garnet had checked all of the places where the cat liked to hide, such as in the bathroom and kitchen cupboards, and under Steven's bed. Cat Steven liked to curl up inside or on top of bags, so Garnet had also checked Steven's Cheeseburger Backpack and Hot Dog Duffel Bag, but Cat Steven was not in either of them.

This was one of those times when Garnet's future vision felt like more of a hindrance than a help. Her future vision was showing all sorts of awful things that could happen to a little cat, like being hit by a car, or attacked by other animals...

"Hey, Garnet, look who we found!"

Garnet turned around and saw Steven and Connie, who had earlier gone off to have a picnic near the lighthouse. Connie held the picnic basket, while Steven cradled Cat Steven.

"Where did you find her?" Garnet asked, trying to keep her usual stoic tone.

"In the picnic basket," Steven explained with a smile. "I opened it and she just popped her head out."

"When we left the house, I put the basket down on the porch for a minute," Connie explained. "I noticed we forgot to pack juice, so Steven went to get some. She must have gotten in there when I wasn't looking."

Garnet gratefully took her pet from Steven and cuddled the kitten to her chest.

"Thank you."


	9. Cat Behaviour

The night before the wedding, Ruby had introduced Cat Steven to Bismuth. Though Bismuth knew of cats and lions, this was the first time she'd ever really interacted with a cat.

Cat Steven was curious about Bismuth: she walked all over the big gem, purring and sniffing at her. Cat Steven tried to paw at Bismuth's dreadlocks, but Ruby quickly took the kitten away.

"She's only playing," Ruby said. She placed Cat Steven on the floor, and the kitten rolled onto her back.

"That means she trusts you," Ruby explained. "A cat's tummy is her vulnerable side, so cats only show it to people-or gems-that they like."

"Okay," Bismuth said, :but...what do I do, now?"

Ruby demonstrated how to rub a cat's tummy, then winced as Cat Steven wrapped her paws around her wrist and nipped at her fingers.

"She's still just playing," Ruby assured Bismuth. "Steven and Connie said kittens like to wrestle with each other; it makes them grow big and strong, and better at hunting."

"Oh, I get it!" Bismuth said happily. "It's like training. Let me try?"

"Sure," Ruby said, "once I can get her off me. You have to be careful with kittens."

Very carefully, Ruby managed to pry the kitten's paws off her wrist, and Bismuth reached down to touch Cat Steven's tummy. Cat Steven purred and began to wrestle with Bismuth's hand.

"She's got a pretty good grip, there," Bismuth remarked good-naturedly. "This furball's tough for something so little."

"She sure is," Ruby said proudly. "Are you sure you're okay with her doing that? If she goes too far, I can take her off you."

"I can handle it," Bismuth said.

Cat Steven lost interest in trying to wrestle with Bismuth's arm, so she released Bismuth and jumped onto Ruby's head.

"She does this with Garnet, too," Ruby said, as Cat Steven's paws tugged at her hair, pushing in and out. "What she's doing right now is called kneading, and that's supposed to be how they get comfortable."

"Okay," Bismuth said. There was so much about Earth's creatures that she didn't understand. She'd been so focused on fighting and shattering enemies that she hadn't really appreciated what Rose had wanted to protect. At least she'd gotten this second chance.


	10. Reunion

After returning from Homeworld, Garnet had been pleased to see Cat Steven again. Before leaving Earth, most of the futures Garnet had seen showed that the probability of returning from Homeworld, let alone all together and without one of her components being shattered, was a very low one, and so she hadn't expected to see her pet again.

Greg returned Cat Steven to Garnet. He'd waited until the Diamonds left, having wanted to keep a low profile in case Blue Diamond recognized him and questioned how he got out of the human zoo.

"We had a great time," Greg assured Garnet, though he looked a little flustered as he handed the kitten back. "Lots of food, lots of water, I sang her some songs and petted her, and she did _not_ climb up onto the car wash roof."

Cat Steven purred in Garnet's arms, looking trustingly up at the gem with her one good eye, and Garnet smiled serenely.

"Thank you, Greg. I knew you'd take good care of her."

She stroked Cat Steven, and the kitten sniffed her, apparently noticing the unfamiliar scent of Homeworld. At least Cat Steven didn't seem terribly bothered by it. She even gave Garnet a little lick. The kitten's tongue was rough, but Garnet didn't mind. If the original Steven had seen this, he might have compared the lick to a kiss.

Garnet hoped both Stevens would grow up strong, and she had faith in both of them. The probability of the Stevens having a good future was very high.


	11. Lars, Lion, Lizards

Early in the morning, Steven was all alone, with just Cat Steven for company. She ate the cat food Steven poured into her dish, while he toasted waffles for himself. Bismuth had made a lot of progress on fixing the house in a short time; it was inhabitable again, though not fully finished.

After all of the drama on Homeworld, and the difficult task ahead of integrating the un-corrupted Gems into Earth life, Steven had planned to have a quiet day, and maybe visit with his dad later. Then, someone knocked on the door, and Steven answered it. He was very happy to see this particular visitor.

"Oh, hi, Lars!"

Lars no longer wore his captain's uniform; he was back in normal clothes, which consisted of his brown shirt with the red scorpion on it and black jeans with a hole in the right knee. He had MC Bear-Bear tucked under his arm.

"Hey, Steven. What happened to your house? It looks...different."

"Long story," Steven said mildly."

"I thought maybe you might want your bear back," Lars said. "I'm not embarrassed to have him or anything, but I wasn't sure if he was just a loaner or not."

He held out MC Bear-Bear, but Steven smiled and shook his head.

"It's okay; you can keep MC Bear-Bear if you really want to. How are the Off-Colors?"

Lars shrugged, while absently adjusting MC Bear-Bear's shades.

"They're okay. They met my parents, and-WHOA!" Lars's eyes bulged a little in surprise and pain.

Cat Steven had trotted outside, mewing cutely, and she had just tried to climb up Lars's leg. She dug her little paws into Lars's jeans, and from the way Lars yelped, she may have gotten through to his skin. Lars may have become immortal, or close enough to being immortal, but he could still feel pain.

Steven bent down to pick up the cat, gently prying her claws out of the black denim jeans.

"Sorry about that, Lars. Maybe Cat Steven thinks you're Lion. They're best friends, and he lets her climb all over him. She's almost like his baby."

Lars stopped looking so freaked out; he smirked and chuckled slightly.

"Cat Steven?"

Steven blushed and kept his eyes on his furry namesake, rubbing her head with the tips of two fingers.

"Yeah...I didn't name her; Garnet did. Cat Steven is Garnet's pet."

Lars suddenly felt guilty, and he rubbed the back of his head as he tried to figure out the nicest thing to say. He still wasn't great at that kind of thing.

"I wasn't trying to make fun of you, man. It's just...calico cats are usually girls, so I didn't think she would have a boy's name."

"It's okay," Steven said, and he made eye contact with Lars again. "I think it suits her. I didn't even know that most calicoes are girls; how'd you know?"

"My _lola_ -my grandma-used to keep cats," Lars explained. "She told me a bunch of stuff about cats that I thought was boring, but I still remembered that stuff anyway."

Cat Steven wriggled slightly in Steven's arms, and she mewed again, keeping her good eye on Lars. He started to reach out to pet her, but then withdrew his hand.

"It's okay, Lars," Steven said with a smile of encouragement. "Cat Steven loves to make friends."

This gave Lars the small amount of courage he needed to gently pet Cat Steven's cute, furry head. He stroked one of Cat Steven's ears while Steven stroked the other ear, and the kitten purred. Lars took a long look at Cat Steven's scarred, permanently closed eye, which made him think of his own scarred eye.

It was then that Lion climbed up onto the porch, holding two magical lizards in his mouth. He spat them out, and Cat Steven jumped out of Steven's arms to eat one of the lizards.

Lion nudged the other lizard to Lars. Lars just looked at it, but Lion became more persistent until Lars finally accepted it.

The unusual expression on Lars's face as he picked up the lizard by the tail could best be described as a cross between a nervous smile and a disturbed grimace.

"Thanks, buddy. I'll save it for later."


	12. Relief

In Little Homeworld, all of the evacuees from Beach City appeared to have been reunited with their loved ones, with a couple of exceptions. Garnet had been looking around Little Homeworld for Cat Steven, hoping that the Pizza family still had her. Alexandrite had given Cat Steven to Kiki, who was usually pretty responsible, so Cat Steven ought to be alright.

"Garnet, over here!"

Kiki sat on a blanket nearby, and Cat Steven was curled up in her lap, apparently quite content.

Garnet practically leaped to where Kiki and Cat Steven sat on the blanket.

Kiki carefully lifted the purring Cat Steven from her lap and passed her over to a very relieved Garnet.

"Thank you for taking care of her, Kiki. Is your family alright?"

Kiki nodded.

"Gunga and Dad and Jenny went to try and help out some other people. I wanted to go with them, but your cat seemed pretty happy here, and I didn't want to disturb her."

"Good," Garnet said, while tenderly rubbing Cat Steven's cheek. "Again, thank you."

Garnet hoped she would never lose her memory again, so as not to forget her beloved pet or other loved ones.


	13. Paws and Claws

Cat Steven had a habit that really irked Pearl: her tendency to scratch things. She was a nice cat and never scratched _people_ , or the Gems (not that being scratched would hurt them much), or other living creatures such as Lion or Pumpkin, but everything else seemed to be fair game. Cat Steven would scratch the sofa and damage it, she would scratch at Steven's mattress and damage it, and she would sometimes scratch the floor after eating, as if intending to dig a hole or something, but this only left scratch marks on the nice wood floor. Cat Steven also scratched at the wall, as if trying to pursue and catch something.

Connie said cats had many reasons to scratch, such as sharpening their claws, marking their territory, or a simple cry for attention and stimulation. Once, when Pearl caught Cat Steven scratching the wall and meowing, and Amethyst, who had taken her purple cat form, was also scratching the wall and meowing.

Pearl groaned.

"Oh, Amethyst, please don't encourage her! You're both starting to leave claw marks on the wall!"

Amethyst the Cat just snickered.

* * *

According to Steven and Connie, some people took their cats to the vet and had the claws removed so that they wouldn't scratch anymore. However, the kids said that this was apparently a very painful and cruel thing to do to a cat, especially cats who went outside a lot, such as Cat Steven. Claws couldn't grow back, and without claws, cats couldn't defend themselves.

Garnet was horrified when Steven and Connie gave her this information, and she couldn't see any futures where her cat would be happy if declawed. Even Pearl was appalled. Though the scratching was annoying, she didn't want Cat Steven to be hurt.

Steven thought the best thing to do was get Cat Steven a scratching post, or perhaps more than one scratching post, just to be safe. He, Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl each chose and bought a scratching post and took it home. They were mostly identical scratching posts, just with different colours: Steven bought a pink one, Garnet bought a red one, Pearl bought an off-white one, and Amethyst bought a purple one. When they arrived at home, they each set their posts on the floor for Cat Steven to inspect. Surely Cat Steven would like at least one of them.

"Garnet," Pearl said, "what is the probability that Cat Steven will use one of these scratching posts?"

"Very low," Garnet said with a slight smirk.

And sure enough, Cat Steven walked past all four scratching posts, ate some food from her dish, and began to paw and scratch at the floor.

"Maybe we should have bought more of a variety of scratching posts," Steven mused.

"I don't understand you at all, Cat Steven!" Pearl said to the cat in a scolding tone. "We've bought you four things that we're willing to let you scratch, but you don't want anything to do with them!"

Cat Steven merely gave Pearl an innocent expression and mewed.

"If C.S. doesn't use them, I will!" Amethyst declared. She turned into a cat and scratched at the post she had bought. "Ah yeah, feels good!"


	14. First Snow

As a creature that born to live in hot places, such as the African savanna or the desert, Lion was not the biggest fan of snow. In the winter, he would create a portal to send himself back to the desert until springtime.

Meanwhile, it was Cat Steven's first winter. As the first snow of winter fell, she sat at a window and curiously watched the snowflakes drifting down from the grey-white sky. Steven, Connie, and the Gems were playing in the snow, having a snowball fight.

The curious young cat slipped out of the house through a new cat-flap that had been added to the front door. There was no snow on the porch, as it had been cleared away to prevent a slipping hazard. She made her way down the steps and saw that Steven and the others were lying in the snow and flailing around. They were making snow angels, but Cat Steven had no way of knowing what a snow angel was. Regardless, she wanted to imitate what the bipedal creatures were doing.

Cat Steven rolled around in the snow to get a better feel of this strange, novel substance. It was soft, but at the same time, it was cold and wet, and the cat wasn't sure if she liked it or not. She noticed that Amethyst was sticking her tongue out to eat the snowflakes (and just for fun, Amethyst made her tongue extra long and frog-like). Cat Steven decided that she would also taste the snowflakes, and she did, but she was not impressed. The snowflakes tasted exactly like cold water.

Having lost interest in the snow, Cat Steven slipped back in through the cat-flap and curled up by the warm radiator.

A portal opened in the middle of the room, and in came Lion. Cat Steven approached Lion and licked his nose, and Lion allowed her to curl up with him. Lion was much warmer than the radiator.


	15. Garnet's Two Stevens

**Spoilers for "Snow Day."**

* * *

Ever since Steven decided he was too old for things like novelty bags in the shape of food, his old Cheeseburger Backpack had become one of Cat Steven's favourite places to take a nap. She would just crawl in, curl up, and have a nice little sleep.

Of course, sometimes that sleep would be interrupted by something beyond Cat Steven's control. One cold morning, when Cat Steven was huddled in the nice, dark, warm space inside the Cheeseburger Backpack, light broke into her hiding space. She opened her eye and saw Garnet peeking in at her.

"I didn't need future vision to know you would be in here," Garnet said with a little smile. "I thought you could go out with Steven today, You can keep an _eye_ on him." Garnet chuckled softly at her own joke.

Steven hadn't wanted to take Cat Steven into town, or even take the Cheeseburger Backpack, but Cat Steven was fine with that. She liked being held by Garnet and feeling Garnet gently stroke her back. Garnet, for her part, was glad that one Steven wanted her attention and affection...for now.

It wasn't long after Steven left that Cat Steven jumped out of Garnet's arms and crawled back inside the Cheeseburger Backpack to sleep, and she would stay in the bag for the rest of the day. Amethyst tried to get the cat out of the bag to watch "Dog-Copter", but Cat Steven gave a distressed little mew when Amethyst attempted to pull her out of the backpack.

"Don't bother her, Amethyst," Garnet said tersely, with a hint of sadness leaking into her voice. "I can't see any future where she wants to come out. Cats don't like dogs, anyway."

Both of Garnet's beloved Stevens had grown up, and Garnet wasn't ready to accept that.

* * *

The following night, Steven lay tucked in his bed, with Cat Steven curled up next to him and purring quietly. Steven stroked her head, then turned his own head when he hear Garnet say his name, very softly.

"Oh, hi, Garnet," Steven said.

"Bless you," Garnet replied, and Steven sneezed immediately after. Thanks to what Garnet had said, Steven managed to cover his mouth and nose in time. The noise woke up the cat, but she only gave Steven and Garnet a tired glance and shut her eye again.

"I'm sorry," Garnet continued, "I should have known better. We never meant for you to get sick, especially with your busy schedule. I was so focused on the possibility of you playing with us, that I ignored other, less favourable possibilities."

Steven shrugged.

"I'll be fine. I can take some twelve-hour cold medicine tomorrow morning. It should get me through the day."

Garnet stood silently at the end of Steven's bed, her expression unreadable. She petted Cat Steven's head, but the cat only gave her an annoyed little mew at her sleep being interrupted.

Steven cleared his throat, partly because it felt phlegm-y and partly because he wanted Garnet's attention.

"Remember when I was five and I got really, really sick, even worse than this?"

Garnet nodded.

"Pearl and Dad were freaking out, and trying to make me eat chicken soup and medicine and stuff. Amethyst kept trying to cheer me up, but I just wanted to sleep. I'd wake up and I'd see you or Dad sitting by my bed, and sometimes one of you would hold my hand. Knowing you were there made me feel better in my mind, even if my body was still sick. You're still here for me, and I know you'll always be here for me no matter how grown-up I get, and that means so much."

"Oh, Steven!" Garnet whispered, touched beyond what words could express. She and Steven hugged, and then Cat Steven got up and decided Garnet's lap would be her new place to sleep. Garnet rubbed the cat's head and back, knowing that she would always be there for Cat Steven, too.


	16. Picky Pet

Sometimes, Pearl really didn't understand cats. Cat Steven could be almost as annoying as Lion.

One day, Pearl happened to be alone in the beach house with Cat Steven, when she heard the cat meowing. Garnet had just refilled Cat Steven's bowl of water that morning, but Cat Steven's food dish was almost empty.

Pearl opened a can of salmon-flavoured cat food and delicately spooned the food into the proper dish, placing it in front of the cat.

"There you are."

Cat Steven just looked down at the plate of food and didn't even nibble or lick at it.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Pearl asked.

Cat Steven turned around and started to walk away.

"Oh, really!" Pearl exclaimed in pure exasperation. "You keep crying for food, but you refuse to eat it! You're doing this just to annoy me, aren't you?"

Cat Steven stopped and simply stared at Pearl without blinking.

The sound of the can being opened had attracted Lion. He entered the kitchen, hoping it might be tuna, but when he saw that it was salmon-flavoured cat food, he walked off in disgust, with Cat Steven following him.

Pearl groaned and smacked her forehead.

"Lion, please don't encourage her!"


	17. A Full Dish, but an Empty Feeling

Early one morning, Steven woke up, feeling very drained. Despite this, he got out of bed and trudged downstairs, planning to feed Cat Steven.

As the half-asleep Steven reached the bottom of the stairs, he heard a crunching sound he knew quite well, and he found Cat Steven happily eating from her food dish, which had already been filled up.

Steven sighed, feeling like not even the cat needed him anymore. He picked up the cat's water dish. It was mostly full, but Steven put it in the sink and added a little more water, just so that he could do _something_ for his furry little namesake.

Steven placed the water dish back on the floor, and felt a little vindicated when Cat Steven purred and rubbed against his legs. At least one Steven felt content with the way things were.


	18. Chaos and Catnip

Pearl returned to the beach house after a day at Little Homeschool, and she found the house in a disastrous state: the couch had been scratched up to the point where stuffing had started to come out, books and other things lay on the floor, and shredded toilet paper (along with a clawed-up roll) was scattered everywhere, like snow. The cat's food dish had been flipped upside down, so there was also a mess of dry cat food. It would take a lot of work to clean up the house before Steven came home.

"Oh, Cat Steven," Pearl said out loud. "What a mess you've made!"

"She didn't," Garnet's calm voice said from behind Pearl.

Pearl turned around and saw Garnet coming down the stairs. Cat Steven lay placidly in Garnet's arms, quietly purring.

"Don't tell me who really did this," Pearl said in a deadpan voice. "I already know."

Garnet smirked a little as Amethyst, in her cat form, jumped out of a kitchen cupboard and rolled around on the floor, purring. Pearl smacked her own forehead and groaned, "Oh, Amethyst, did you get into the catnip again?"

Amethyst laughed, a sound that seemed peculiar when coming out of a purple cat, and she bolted out the door. Cat Steven jumped out of Garnet's arms and ran outside after Amethyst.


	19. Continuing Cat Comfort

_Spoilers for the end of "Steven Universe Future"!_

* * *

After Steven had left Beach City, even Cat Steven missed him. He had always been so nice and gentle with her, and sometimes he would sneak her extra cat treats.

Being a cat, Cat Steven couldn't really understand why Steven was no longer around. The morning after Steven's departure, Cat Steven just happened to climb up the stairs of the beach house, where Lion was curled up. Lion didn't look at Cat Steven when she approached him, nor did he respond to her when she licked and pawed at him. He just turned his head away.

Cat Steven went into the house through the open front door and found Pearl crying on the couch, hugging Steven's ukulele. Garnet and Amethyst were trying to console her. The cat wandered through the beach house, not hearing or smelling or seeing Steven, and she meowed in confusion. She kept on meowing as she went downstairs.

"Stop it," Pearl sobbed. "He's gone!"

Garnet picked up Cat Steven and kept the cat in her lap, while Amethyst patted Pearl's back and said something to her. Cat Steven didn't really understand what the Gems were saying, but she thought Pearl could use some cheering up. She licked Pearl's hand with her rough little tongue, and Pearl absently petted the cat. Eventually, Pearl looked at Cat Steven and managed a weak smile.

When Pearl was feeling a bit better, Garnet carried Cat Steven outside, onto the beach, and together they sat by the ocean for a long time. Garnet thought about how Steven bore some similarity to cats. Cats hid their pain, as Steven had done for too long, and cats traveled around and did their own thing, just as Steven was doing now. But cats would come back to places were they were given care and attention, so hopefully Steven would one day come back, too.

For now, Garnet wrapped her arms securely but gently around Cat Steven, not wanting to let go of her pet just yet.

* * *

Much later, Greg had settled into bed in Steven's old room, and he felt a bit of extra weight at the end of the bed. There was Cat Steven, staring at him in the unblinking way cats do. Greg was a bit nervous at first, because he knew cats liked to attack people's feet.

Luckily, Cat Steven didn't attack Greg's feet, and simply curled up and went to sleep. Greg sat up and rubbed Cat Steven's head. He'd worried that living in the beach house, and in Steven's old room, might make things awkward between him and the Gems, but Greg felt better about it, now, and the cat's purring felt very comforting.


	20. Help and Healing

Steven lay on his bed, feeling a bit drained. Today, he'd had his first appointment with his new therapist. He'd managed to get a lot of things off his chest, and that made him feel better, but it still exhausted him. He almost fell asleep, when Garnet came into his room. She cradled a weakly mewing Cat Steven, and she looked very worried.

"Steven, I'm sorry if this is a bad time, but Cat Steven needs help."

Steven was immediately alert. "What happened?"

Garnet approached Steven, so that he could get a better look at the cat. Her leg was bleeding.

Steven kissed Cat Steven's leg, and it instantly healed. Cat Steven gave him a grateful lick on the nose, but Garnet still looked worried.

"Thank you, Steven. Do you need anything? Do you need to talk?"

Steven smiled weakly.

"I did a lot of talking with my therapist today," he said, trying to sound light and joking. "My throat's a bit sore. But...could you and Cat Steven sit with me for a bit?"

"Of course," Garnet said, and she sat down, still cradling the cat. Cat Steven decided to stretch herself out so that she lay on both Garnet and Steven's laps. The cat had her head on Steven's knee, and he rubbed her ears.

Cat Steven had had a rough time when she was a kitten, Steven thought. She and her siblings had gone without a mother for who knows how long, and Cat Steven had somehow lost her eye. And yet, Cat Steven had survived, and was quite a sweet cat, with no apparent issues at all. Steven envied her.

"You're going to be alright, Steven," Garnet said, as though she had read his mind. "As long as you're getting help, you'll be alright. I can see it. You're a survivor, too."


End file.
